After leaving Tatooine, Annikin ultimately joined the Jedi Order and fought in the Clone Wars alongside Kenobi and fellow PadawanPadmé Naberrie. His supposed destiny and actions during the Clone Wars led to his life being documented in the Journal of the Whills.

Sometime later, Shmi met Sarus, a member of the Ophuchi Clan of hermits on Tatooine, who told her that her unborn child was destined to fulfill the Prophecy of the Chosen One, though she dismissed the idea as nonsense. Just prior to giving birth, Shmi was attacked by Maul, a self-proclaimed Dark Jedi Master, prompting Sarus to bring her to the Ophuchi sanctuary deep in the Dune Sea. Maul attacked once again, and Sarus fought him off. Sarus then delivered Skywalker and suggested Shmi name her child Annikin, which she chose to do. She did not, however, choose to follow Sarus’s advice about telling Skywalker about his destiny on his thirteenth birthday, not wanting to have her son taken away from her,[3] exploited due to other people's beliefs, or killed by individuals such as Maul.[4]

When he was old enough, Shmi told her son that his father, who did not actually exist, was named Deak Skywalker.[3] She explained that he was a navigator on a spice freighter in the Outer Rim Territories and that he died before Skywalker was ever able to remember him.[5]

Around that time, Skywalker and his mother lived in the Mos Espa spaceport settlement, where they worked for a Toydarian in a junk shop. Skywalker became friends with Kitster Banai during this time, and he later came to refer to Banai as his best friend.[6] During these formative years, Skywalker and a group of friends were in a cantina where they encountered a pilot from the Galactic Republic, a galactic government outside of the Outer Rim. The pilot told them the story of Revan, a Jedi Knight who traveled to Tatooine during the Jedi Civil War to find a star map that told him the location of an ancient super weapon.[1] The pilot also explained some of Jedi Order's philosophies, such as the idea that certain emotions could be destructive. This was Skywalker's first introduction to the ways of the Jedi Order.[5]

In 31 BBY, Shmi met and married Cliegg Lars, a moisture farmer who lived on the outskirts of Anchorhead. The marriage gave Skywalker a stepfather in Cliegg, as well as a stepbrother in Cliegg's son, Owen Lars. Skywalker and his mother moved to the Lars moisture farm where they too became moisture farmers,[6] although they were sharecroppers because the farm was owned by the crime lord Jabba the Hutt. This and other supposedly oppressive acts carried out by the Hutts caused Skywalker to develop a hatred of the slug-like species.[1]

“You obviously haven't seen me race if you think I need to go back to racing school.”—Annikin Skywalker during an argument with Greedo in 22 BBY[src]

In the years that followed, Skywalker attempted to build a relationship with his stepbrother, although his attempts did not go the way he planned them. He came to feel that Owen constantly pushed him away, and that Owen was too stubborn and arrogant to actually have a brotherly relationship with. Skywalker based what he wanted off of the relationship between Banai and his brother, who Skywalker saw as inseparable.[6] Because of his lack of progress with Owen, Cliegg attempted to show Skywalker extra support, so much so that he came to think of Cliegg as his own father.[5]

Sometime during those years, Skywalker found the discarded and gutted remains of the protocol droidC-3PO in Anchorhead. After smuggling the droid’s parts home, Skywalker reassembled C-3PO to act as a servant and occasional worker droid for his family, although they did not believe a protocol droid would be of any use to them. Skywalker was unable to afford proper droid coverings, so he melded together pieces of scrap metal from around the Lars homestead in order to create coverings himself.[5]

When he was old enough, Skywalker began participating in swoop racing, a fast-moving racing sport played on numerous planets in the galaxy. Skywalker would often participate for money to give to his family, such as he did in his final race, which took place in 23 BBY. He was poised to win the race, but his rival Sebulba cheated, thereby winning the race.[5] Skywalker would sometimes bet on swoop races as well. Around the time of his final race, he lost a bet to Greedo, the Rodian bartender at the Anchorhead Cantina, but was unable to pay the money back. He still owed the money as of 22 BBY, causing a number of arguments between Skywalker and Greedo.[1]

In 22 BBY, Skywalker witnessed the crash of a J-type 327 Utapauan royal starship during a sandstorm in Anchorhead. The vessel, which was carrying Queen Sabé Arcadia of Utapau, crashed on the outskirts of the settlement. Skywalker boarded the vessel just before it crashed in the hopes of making sure everyone inside was safe. After making it inside, he met Jedi KnightObi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi MasterJard Dooku, the former of whom informed Skywalker that the vessel’s hyperdrive generator was damaged. Skywalker offered to help repair it, and, with Queen Arcadia’s permission, it was decided that the crew would stay on Skywalker’s moisture farm, as the repairs would cause the ship’s systems to be shut down.[6] The Lars family, with the exception of Owen who did not trust off-worlders, agreed to the plan.[6]

The following morning, Skywalker, with assistance from Kenobi, C-3PO and R2-D2, an R2-sereisastromech droid from Utapau, began working to repair the ship. Throughout the day, Skywalker and Kenobi began to learn about one another. Skywalker told Kenobi that he knew Kenobi was a Jedi Knight, as he had seen his lightsaber earlier. This prompted a discussion about the Jedi Order, but Skywalker made a mistake in his repairs as they were talking, setting his work back a few hours. The two returned to the Lars homestead for dinner, after which time Skywalker went to Anchorhead for supplies for the next day.[5]

Once in Anchorhead, Skywalker purchased the supplies he needed at Ody's Garage, a supply shop in the settlement. As Skywalker was returning home, was nearly hit by what seemed to be an out-of-control speeder, but he somehow managed to jump out of the way before being injured. Sarus, the driver of the speeder, brought Skywalker into the nearby cantina and told Skywalker that he was able to avoid injury by using the powers of the Force, the metaphysical binding field with powers that were given to Skywalker at birth. Skywalker denied all of this, along with Sarus’s insistence that Skywalker was destined to destroy an evil army. Distraught and confused, Skywalker returned home, but not before Sarus told Skywalker that he would be waiting for him once he was ready to learn more.[4]

The next evening, Cliegg Lars recognized that something was bothering Skywalker, so Skywalker told him about what Sarus said. Lars, having been told about Sarus and Skywalker’s potential destiny years earlier, decided to tell Skywalker that he knew. He gave his stepson a snippet ofjapor ivory wood that had been carved with ancient symbols years earlier. Skywalker, feeling that he had been lied to, left the homestead and returned to Anchorhead to find Sarus so he could learn more about his supposed destiny.[4] Kenobi, Dooku, and Arcadia, along with exiled Gungan PrinceJar Binks and Utapau Security Forces Sergeant Logan Amator who were also from the starship, followed Skywalker. When Skywalker, as well as the others, found Sarus, he told them that he needed Skywalker and the two Jedi to follow him into the Dune Sea to find out information about the fate of the galaxy. The entire group agreed to follow Sarus.[4]

Six hours later, the group arrived at the Ophuchi sanctuary deep in the Dune Sea, where they were introduced to the Ophuchi Clan. In order to replenish themselves following the hours-long hike, Sarus provided the group with a pre-prepared meal, during which time they learned more about the Ophuchi Clan’s customs and history. Following the feast, Annikin and the group were led to a cave deeper in the sanctuary, where Sarus said they would learn about the supposed fate of the galaxy.[7]

When they arrived in the cave, Sarus spoke about a number of cave paintings, including one that the Ophuchi believed represented the Prophecy of the Chosen One. This prophecy spoke of the coming of a galactic savior, the Chosen One, who would bring balance to the Force by destroying the Sith, a dark-sided sect that was believed by the galaxy-at-large to have been destroyed a millennia earlier. Sarus expressed the belief that Skywalker was the Chosen One. He also believed that the two Jedi, along with the rest of the group in the cave, were destined to help the Chosen One fulfill his destiny. Skywalker vocally disagreed with the notion. While Sarus tried to get him to see his point of view, Skywalker still refused to believe it, though he did agree to learn more about this supposed destiny.[8]

So he could learn more, Skywalker traveled with Sarus and Kenobi to the nearby Arrakeen settlement after the rest of the group returned to the homestead. Unexpectedly, Skywalker and Kenobi realized that there was water in Arrakeen, which did not seem plausible considering the drought that had plagued the planet for nearly twenty years. In Arrakeen, Sarus brought them to the Temple of Desire, which had been built thousands of years earlier by the Order of the Jedi Bendu that the Ophuchi descended from. Sarus's goal was to test Skywalker and show the young man what his greatest fears were, which Sarus believed was necessary if Skywalker was to fulfill his supposed destiny.[9]

Skywalker ventured into the Temple of Desire without Sarus and Kenobi,[9] carrying a knife with him that amplified his fear within a Force nexus inside the temple.[10] After exploring the temple, he discovered a water-filled cave deep in the temple, where he met a woman named Eden. She attempted to sexually seduce him, but he rejected her and fled the cave. As he was running towards the temple’s entryway, he encountered a vision of an invader who threatened to take his life. Before the invader could kill him, Sarus and Kenobi suddenly stood before him, leading him to realize it was just an illusion.[9]

Because Skywalker brought the knife into the temple with him and was unable to overcome the fears he was confronted with, namely a fear of emotional commitment represented by the vision of Eden and a fear of change,[10] Sarus told him that he failed the test. Nevertheless, it was a test he was meant to fail, as it was used to show him what his fears were so he could eventually overcome them.[9] Sarus also later admitted that everything the young man saw was an illusion, including the water in the cave.[11]

When the three of them returned to the sanctuary, they discovered that Jacob, the guard of the sanctuary’s entryway, had been murdered. Rushing into and through the sanctuary, they realized that the Ophuchi, most of whom were in hiding, had been attacked while they were in Arrakeen. As they moved through the corridors, a cave-in pinned Kenobi under the falling rubble and separated Skywalker and Sarus.[11]

Therefore, Skywalker attempted to find another way around the rubble. While doing so, he encountered Lilith, who claimed to be an injured Ophuchi who could help him get around the rubble. Trusting her, he followed Lilith into another corridor, but it ended up being a trap. Lilith’s true identity was the leader of a group of four Guardians of Lettow, a dark-sided group allied with Maul. After he was restrained by two other Lettow, Lilith told him that the Prophecy of the Chosen One was false and that he was meant to destroy the galaxy, not save it. As with the prophecy, Skywalker dismissed the idea as nonsense after realizing that the purpose of the attack was to capture him, but Lilith was adamant nonetheless. Before Lilith could do anything else, the two other Lettow were assaulted by Kenobi, who had escaped from the pile of rubble. Lilith and her two followers were then engulfed into a bright light. Unbeknown to Skywalker and Kenobi, this was done by Ussej Padric Bac using an ancient Bendu ritual, which he then used to immediately return Skywalker and Kenobi to the Lars homestead.[11]

Along with Sarus, Skywalker and Kenobi arrived at the homestead immediately thereafter. Skywalker confronted the hermit leader over what happened with Lilith, believing that Sarus had known that the Lettow believed his destiny was to destroy the galaxy. Sarus claimed that he did not know, but Skywalker refused to believe him. After reuniting with his parents, Skywalker demanded that Sarus leave and never return.[3]

The events of the previous days, particularly the sanctuary attack, solidified Skywalker's resistance to Sarus's beliefs, as well as his hatred towards the Ophuchi leader. Nevertheless, he remained conflicted over his future, not knowing where it would take him or whether he had a choice in the matter. Cliegg, however, told him that he was the only one who could decide his destiny, bringing the young man some degree of comfort.[3]

His conflicted feelings continued to manifest themselves when Shmi told him the story of his immaculate conception, revealing that the father she had told him about never existed. This confirmed some elements of the prophecy, which the Ophuchi interpreted as stating that the Chosen One would be born to a virgin mother, though Skywalker continued to believe that the prophecy was false. This revelation only led to more anger when Sarus returned to the homestead. The Ophuchi leader had negotiated a deal with Bib Fortuna, one of Jabba the Hutt’s aides in Anchorhead, that would free Skywalker from the Lars family’s sharecropping contract if he defeated Sebulba in a swoop race. This would have allowed Skywalker to leave the planet and become a member of the Jedi Order, which Sarus wanted him to do. Because of his resistance to Sarus, however, Skywalker declined, leading the hermit leader to formulate a plan to free the young man on his own.[3]

“I'm simply saying that I have a different interpretation about the life of Annikin Skywalker, both because I watched the events unfold through the stream and because I associated myself with him on more than one occasion.”—Ussej Padric Bac[src]

Sometime after the fall of the Galactic Empire and the establishment of the New Republic, Skywalker's life was documented in the Journal of the Whills on Ashlan Four. Duseuso, then a novice historian who later became the lead historian for the Journal of the Whills, transcribed Skywalker's biography into the Journal of the Whills. Duseuso had help from Ussej Padric Bac, the Shaman of the Whills, who interacted with Skywalker sometime during Skywalker's life.[13] Duseuso later went on to state in the journal that Skywalker was a hero, as well as one of the most well known warriors in the galaxy during his life.[12]

Despite the prophecy supposedly written about him, Skywalker saw himself as someone who would not amount to anything in life other than being a moisture farmer. He felt the notion that he was a savior was absurd, mostly due to his belief that he was meant to be a farmer.[8] He outright objected to Sarus's view that he would one day become the Chosen One, leading Skywalker to refuse Sarus's offer to race Sebulba and win freedom from Tatooine.[3]

In order to prevent himself from believing in the prophecy, Skywalker attempted to dismiss a number of facts that he learned and situations he experienced during his few days with Sarus and the Ophuchi. He rationalized his disregard for the prophecy by believing that Sarus and the Ophuchi were insane.[3] He did the same for Lilith and the other Guardians of Lettow, believing that their ideas about his destiny to destroy the galaxy were just as nonsensical as the Prophecy of the Chosen One.[11] He also hoped that his immaculate conception was a coincidence or that his mother was incorrect about the circumstances surrounding his birth and had unknowingly been raped, leading to an incorrect assumption that she had become pregnant while a virgin. His mother’s admission about his birth did, however, cause him to reconsider his opposition to Sarus’s beliefs.[3]

The events in the few days that Skywalker was with Sarus and the Ophuchi proved to be overwhelming to him, particularly in regards to how he felt he was being torn between two different worlds. Skywalker wanted to live what he felt was the normal life of a moisture farmer on Tatooine,[8] but at the same time he wanted to explore the galaxy and visit other worlds.[7] He feared that doing so would give Sarus the ability to push him closer to his supposed destiny, leaving Skywalker confused as to how to proceed in his life.

Nonetheless, Skywalker’s stepfather contended that Skywalker could do anything if he set his mind to it. This was regardless of whether he chose to be a savior or a moisture farmer for the rest of his life. Lars’s advice was able to help convince Skywalker that only he could decide what his future would hold. Skywalker’s decision was to not believe Sarus or the prophecy.[3]

While in the Temple of Desire in Arrakeen, Skywalker learned about his two greatest fears. The first was his fear of emotional commitment, which was routed in a fear of change, his second fear. He longed to love a woman and to be loved by her, but he was afraid to take the step necessary to do so because of his fear of his life changing, as represented by his vision of Eden. His vision of an invader in the temple was a manifestation of his fear consuming him, which was possible if he was unable to recognize and overcome his fears.[9] These manifestations came about due to Skywalker's refusal to enter the temple unarmed.[10]

His desire to be loved by another person also related to his desire to have a true brotherly relationship with his stepbrother, Owen. Skywalker saw the relationship between Kitster Banai and his brother, where they were one another’s best friends, and wished that his own relationship with his stepbrother could have been like that. After nearly ten years, however, he began to realize that it likely was not possible due to what Skywalker felt was Owen’s inability to trust other people. He frequently confided in his mother after disagreements with Owen, and Cliegg tried as hard as he believed he could to be a good father to Skywalker so he would have a strong and committed father figure in his life.[6]

Though she did not believe in the prophecy either, Arcadia saw Skywalker as being more generous than most people in the galaxy. She was impressed by his rejection of payment after he offered to help repair her vessel, which surprised her as she believed most people would want some sort of compensation after offering to help another person. Alexander Arcadia, the queen's son, later said that Skywalker’s generosity helped restore his mother’s faith in the galaxy.[6]

“I've never met a busted engine I couldn't tape back together.”—Annikin Skywalker[src]

Throughout his life, Skywalker worked on a number of mechanical devices, particularly engines. His work in fixing engines was what gave him enough confidence to believe that he could help repair Queen Arcadia’s hyperdrive generator, even though he had never attempted to fix anything that complex beforehand.[6] He later admitted that it was too complex for him, and, even though he was doing what he could to help, he had no idea what he was doing.[3]

According to Sarus, Skywalker was also sensitive to the Force, though the young farmer had not seen any evidence to believe it. After Skywalker somehow managed to avoid being hit by Sarus’s speeder in Anchorhead, Sarus told him that it was reflexes enhanced by the Force that allowed him to quickly spin out of the way of the oncoming vehicle. Nevertheless, Skywalker contended that he did not know enough about the Force to believe the claim.[4] This sentiment did not change even as Skywalker learned more about his supposed destiny.[3]

When Rhea decided to rewrite the entire saga, fellow fan fiction author Victor Dorantes convinced him to change the name to Annikin Skywalker, as Dorantes felt it "look[ed] much better this way."[15] After some consideration, Rhea decided to change the name to Dorantes's suggestion based on the fact that the name Annikin was from the original drafts of Star Wars, something that Rhea frequently draws inspiration from.[14] In those drafts, Annikin Starkiller was the proposed lead character of what would become Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, playing a similar role to what Luke Skywalker played in the completed film.[16]

When Rhea was first developing The Chosen One, the original outline of the story called for Skywalker not learning about the prophecy from the Ophuchi, as the Ophuchi did not exist in that outline. Skywalker would have met Obi-Wan Kenobi and the other outsiders the same way he did in final version of The Chosen One, though Kenobi would have instead felt that there was something different and powerful about Skywalker instead of having the Ophuchi Clan tell him. After seeing Skywalker perform certain feats while working on a pod racer, as the sport had not been changed to swoop racing in the story at that point, Kenobi would have somehow come to the conclusion that Skywalker was the Chosen One.[14]

The storyline did not include the Ophuchi until Rhea had a conversation with fellow fan fiction author Atarumaster88 on the #swfanon Internet Relay Chat channel. During the conversation, Ataru mentioned that he did not like stories on Tatooine where characters would mention how insignificant the planet was, despite it producing a Star Map found by Revan in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, as well as characters such as Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker. After some thought, Rhea agreed with this criticism, and it was only then that he created the Ophuchi to serve as a herald for the Chosen One. Rhea came to feel that Skywalker’s storyline with the Ophuchi was far stronger than his original idea.[14]

In further developing Skywalker, Rhea hoped to make the character as believable and realistic as possible. This was done through the character’s opposition and reaction to the idea that he was meant to be a savior, as Rhea felt that it would not be realistic for a character to believe such an idea. This also was one of the reasons that Skywalker became angry at Sarus, along with the events in the Arrakeen temple.[17]

For the Arrakeen temple, Rhea based Skywalker facing his deepest fears in the Temple of Desire on the similar situation Luke Skywalker went through on Dagobah in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. The character of the invader in the temple was based on Darth Vader, the Sith Lord that Anakin Skywalker became in the canon film series.[10]

Another a source of inspiration for Skywalker's reluctance to believe in his destiny is the television series Smallville, a story about Clark Kent before he becomes Superman. In the earlier seasons of the show, Kent was reluctant to accept his destiny as a superhero and instead wished he could have a normal life. Skywalker not wanting to accept that he is possibly the Chosen One and preferring to have a normal life on Tatooine was based on this plot element.[14]

Along with all other characters in The Chosen One, Skywalker was set to appear in a now-canceled film called The Chosen One: The Animated Movie which was to be based on the novel. Unlike other characters, aside from Jedi Master Mace Windy and Obi-Wan Kenobi, test images of Skywalker were developed in animated form. There were four test images of him in total. Animation tests were also conducted on the character. In these tests, Skywalker was walking over a sand dune in the Dune Sea on Tatooine. This was done to test the abilities of the designer in creating locations as well as characters.[18]